Article wrapping apparatus



5am; 1, I952 c. s; STEPHANO 25%1309 ARTICLE WRAPPING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 12, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET l Q3, 50 ya Ruenior cbwianfine Jliepizan 5y his flab/wags Jam. 1, 1952 c, s, NO 2,581,309

ARTICLE WRAPPING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 12, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 KW q Patented Jan. 1, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTICLE WRAPPING APPARATUS Constantine S." Stephano, Meadowbrook, Pa., assign'or to Stephan'o Brothers; Philadelphia, Pa;, atcorporation of Pennsylvania Application September 12, 1949, Serial No. 115,151

9 Claims: 1

This invention relates to article handling' ma chinery; more particularly'to'an improvedcom- 'veyor system for cigarette packaging machines: A- disadvantage of previous construction in cigarette packaging machinery resided in thedif fi'culty'of transferring the cigarettes from one station in the wrapping machine'to a subsequent station. The improvements in' the present machine relate to the proper timing," spacing and feeding of individual cigarettes;which"have previousl been partiallywrapped in individualwrappers; tothe -station' on the wrapping machine" where the ends of "the wrappers are folded" and sealed.

A primary "object of J the invention; therefore; is to provide in article-handling machinery a pair of feed" screws onto which the articles to be wrappedare depositedand from thence carried to a station where further" steps in the wrapping procedure are performed.

A still further: object of the" invention is to provide an improved feed screw construction for use in individual cigarette wrapping machines.-

A still further object of the inventionis to providean improved means for end-*wrappingdndividual cigarettes.

A-still'further object of the invention is to pr'o' vide an improved end-"sealer for-cigarette wrap- Fig.v:is a"transversesectional detail as seen at 5.5- of -Fig. 4; and:

Fig; 6 is an enlargedtransverse sectional detail as-seen-at 6-6 of Fig. 1.

A machine for individually wrapping articles such ascigarettes comprises a conicalseparator assembly I 0 having. individual compartments: 1 I

I 1 adapted .to receive partially wrappedwcigarettes l2, E2. The rotating member Ilia of separator ll is mounted on a shaft l3 whichtis driven from shaft [4. by means of-a pair of bevel-gears l5 and l6. Thevcigarettes; after. the initial wrapping operation, are fed into member 100; byxmeans of endless belts l1 and .18; The, construction and operation of the. feed=toseparator I 0 .as well: as:

the separator itself form no part of the present invention and are well known'in the cigarette wrapping art. I

The member lfla'rotates within a guard lob which terminates at a point nearthe bottom of the separator as shown in Fig. 2. When the'cigarettes reach the terminus of the guard 10?), t ey are deposited one byjone onto a pair of feed screws 25 and 26, which are journaled at one end in plate 21 and at the opposite end in bracket 28.

sprocket 3| which is in turn driven by a chain 32 connected to suitable driving means (not shown) The pitch of threads 33 and 34 on screws25 and 26 is the same for each screw and constant throughout the length of the screws. Thega'ps' or spaces between adjacent threads on each screw are so timed that there is a gap at the top of each screw which is transversely in registry with acorresponding gap on the adjacent screw so that" cigarettes which are" individually deposited from separator l0 fall between adjacent threads'fon each screw and thence are carried axially on the screws away from the loading station. The thickness of threads 33 and 34 is not uniform throughout the length of the screws as will be explained more fully'hereinafter.

Referring now particularly to Fig 1, it will be seen that as the cigarettes are deposited onto" screws 25 and 26, they are carried by the threads 33 and 34 of the screws to an aligning station' which comprises a pair of brackets 35'and 36 mounted on platform 31 and having flared openings' 38 and 39 into which the cigarettes are fed; Brackets -35 and 36 have horizontal flanges 35w and 36d which slightly overlap the tops of the cigarettes. As the cigarettes emerge from contact from brackets 35 and 36 they are engaged by the teeth 40,10 of centering wheel 42. The func-' tion of centering wheel 42 is to align the cigar ettes properly within the individual wrappers 44" for each cigarette. It will be observed that when the cigarettes leave separator l0, they are located Before the ends of the wrappers can be folded over the cigarette, it is therefore necessary that the-cig within and at one end of the wrappers.

arettes be centered within the wrapper so that substantially equal portions of wrapperexte'nd beyond-each end of each cigarette.

As: the cigarettes proceed along screws 25 and 25, the ends of the wrappers abut side plates" 45 and 46. Plate 46 extends to and may be'an extension of the vertical side of bracket 36; Whereas plate 45 tapers somewhat in a forward Feed. screws 25 and 26 are counter-rotating: and areinterconnectingly driven byv means of spur gears 29 and 30. The shaft 'of screw 25 extends through plate 21 and is providedwith adirection and terminates at a point just behind centering wheel 42. At the opposite end, both plates 45 and 46 extend longitudinally beyond the termini of screws 25 and 26 in bracket 28. As the cigarettes reach the termini of screws 25 and 25, they are fed underneath the periphery of a wheel or drum 4? which is mounted on shaft 48 and which is provided with a suitable friction surface 49 such as fine sandpaper or the like.

A pair of guards 59 and 55 are located in spaced relation over the top of screws 25 and 26 and ex tend longitudinally thereof from a point adjacent the zone at which the cigarettes are deposited onto the screws to the drum. At one end the guards 59 and 5! are pivotally supported at flared openings 33 and 39. At the other end they are permitted to rest lightly on the cigarettes and are bent upwardly backwards as shown in Fig. 4, at which point they are retained in transverse alignment by means of grooves 52 and 53 on the periphery of drum il.

As the cigarettes are engaged by the periphery 49 of drum 41, they are rolled across a concave corrugated bed or depression 59, as shown in Fig. 4. The spacing of the upper surface of the bed 54 and the periphery d9 of drum ll is sufl cient to provide slight pressure between the cigarettes wrapper and the friction surface 49 of the drum. Bed 54 in the preferred form is arcuate in shape and substantially concentric with drum 41. The rotation of drum 4'! causes the cigarettes to roll on their individual axes past the wrapping standards 55, 55 to overlap and fold the ends of wrapper 54 of each cigarette. A central groove 52a on the periphery of drum 4'! provides clearance for the tear tab 44a of wrapper 44 so that the tabs will not be pressed onto the surface of the wrappers. The functioning of these wrapping standards 55, 55 is shown and described in my co-pending application, Serial Number 791,002, filed December 11, 1947.

I have found that the provision of a drum of relatively small diameter and the concave bed 54 greatly enhances the end folding operation. However, it is essential to the smooth functioning of the end folding mechanism that the cigarettes be properly fed to the drum. Proper feeding of the cigarettes at this point entails the exact timing for each cigarette so that jamming is eliminated and also so that maximum capacity can be attained. The speed at which screws and 25 rotate can of course, be accurately controlled as well as the speed at which drum 41 rotates. Since the feeding of the cigarettes on the screws is of course fixed, the speed and timing of the feed to the drum and its associated folding structure can be precisely controlled. It is not dependent upon the friction or the amount of rolling that might be present between the cigarettes and a belt so that a positive feed to the folding mechanism is provided at all times.

After the folding operation described above the cigarettes are fed between brackets and 5? also mounted on platform 3?. Continued feeding of the cigarettes by drum 4'! into brackets 55, 51 causes the cigarettes to push each other between the brackets until their ends are engaged by a pair of metallic belts 58 and 59 which are in turn mounted on pulleys 69, 6! and 62, 53. At this point the belts pass in front of the face plates 54a and 55a of electric heaters 6d and by means of which the folded ends of the individual wrappers are heat sealed. The material for belts 5B and 59 is preferably of some thin metal having good heat conductivity. Tension in belts 58 and 59 is provided by means of idler pulleys 61a and 63a which may be adjustable if desired. Heaters 64 and 65 are positioned over elongated slots 56 and B1 in platform 31 and are provided with suitable electrical connections 68, 63. After passing from control of belts 58 and 59, the fully wrapped and sealed individual cigarettes l2, l2 are deposited onto an endless belt 69 which is mounted over pulley 10 journaled on platform 3l. Belt 69 is provided with a guard H to prevent the cigarettes from falling from the belt.

As shown clearly in Fig. 2 the axial spacing between threads 33 and 34 on screws 25 and 26 is relatively greater underneath separator [0 than opposite centering wheel 42, for example. This feature is important in assuring that the cigarettes always fall between successive threads on the screws. As the cigarettes proceed along the screws the thickness of the threads gradually increases until there is just sufficient clearance between the threads to loosely accommodate the individual cigarette. In this position the maximum distance between threads issubstantially equal to, or slightly greater than the diameter of the cigarette and Wrapper.

As the cigarettes reach the termini of screws 25 and 26, their continued course is controlled by drum 41 as explained above. After contact with the periphery of drum 4! ceases, the cigarettes push each other successively through brackets 56 and 51 until the ends of the cigarettes contact belts 58 and 59. As will be noted in Fig. 1, the forward ends of face plates 64a and 6511 are flared slightly outwardly so that brackets 56 and 51 can guide the cigarettes between the belts, which at this point likewise flare outwardly to provide gradual engagement of the cigarettes without danger of crushing them.

It will thus be understood that I have provided a cigarette handling apparatus which positively and accurately controls the feeding of the cigarettes or other articles to the folding and sealing station. This accurate control in turn enables improvements to be made with respect to the folding and sealing structure and at the same time provides increased speed and a minimum of danger to the cigarettes.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In article handling machinery, the subcombination which comprises a feed trough in which articles to be packaged are carried, a drum journaled above said trough, an arcuate bed in said trough, said bed being substantially concentric with said drum, means spaced along the sides of said arcuate bed for folding and wrapping the ends of articles fed between the drum and the groove, and means for feeding articles to be wrapped against the periphery of the drum.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the periphery of the drum is provided with a friction face.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the arcuate bed has a plurality of corrugations adapted to rotate the articles being wrapped.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the drum is provided with at least one peripheral groove, and a guard adapted to be trans versely retained by said peripheral groove.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the drum is provided with a central peripheral groove, and a pair of guard retaining grooves.

6. In cigarette wrapping machinery having a pair of counter-rotating feed screws, means for depositing cigarettes on said feed screws, gear means for timing the rotation of said feed screws with respect to each other, the improvement that consists of a centering wheel journaled on a vertical axis and turnable in timed relation with the feed screws, means including a plurality of spaced teeth around the periphery of said wheel for consecutively contacting individual cigarettes straddling the top of both feed screws, and an abutment transversely opposite the centering wheel and in predetermined spaced relation thereto for aligning the cigarettes on the screws in cooperation with the centering wheel.

7. In cigarette wrapping machinery having a pair of counter-rotating feed screws, means for depositing cigarettes on said feed screws, gear means for timing the rotation of said feed screws with respect to each other, the improvement that consists of a centering wheel journaled on a vertical axis and turnable in timed relation with the feed screws, means including a plurality of spaced teeth around the periphery of said wheel for consecutively contacting individual cigarettes straddling the top of both feed screws, an abutment transversely opposite the centering wheel and in predetermined spaced relation thereto for aligning the cigarettes on the screws in cooperation with the centering wheel, an end wrapping station contiguous with the termini of the feed screws, a transverse arcuate trough comprising the bottom of said end wrapping station, a drum concentrically mounted with respect to said trough, said drum being journaled on a horizontal axis, a friction face on said drum, and guide means for directing cigarettes discharged from the feed screws into the clearance space between the drum and the depression.

8. In cigarette wrapping machinery having a pair of counter-rotating feed screws, means for depositing cigarettes on said feed screws, gear means for timing the rotation of said feed screws with respect to each other, the improvement that consists of a centering wheel journaled on a vertical axis and turnable in timed relation with the feed screws, means including a plurality of spaced teeth around the periphery of said wheel for consecutively contacting individual cigarettes straddling the top of both feed screws, an abutment transversely opposite the centering wheel and in predetermined spaced relation thereto for aligning the cigarettes on the screws in cooperation with the centering wheel, an end wrapping station contiguous with the termini of the feed screws, a transverse arcuate trough comprising the bottom of said end wrapping station, a drum concentrically mounted with respect to said trough, said drum being journaled on a horizontal axis, a friction face on said. drum, at least one annular groove around the periphery of said drum, and a guard extending into said groove to guide the cigarettes against the periphery of the drum.

9. In cigarette wrapping machinery having a pair of counter-rotating feed screws, means for depositing cigarettes on said feed screws, gear means for timing the rotation of said feed screws with respect to each other, the improvement that consists of a centering wheel journaled on a vertical axis and turnable in timed relation with the feed screws, means including a plurality of spaced teeth around the periphery of said wheel for consecutively contacting individual cigarettes straddling the top of both feed screws, an abutment transversely opposite the centering wheel and in predetermined spaced relation thereto for aligning the cigarettes on the screws in cooperation with the centering wheel, an end wrapping station contiguous with the termini of the feed screws, a transverse trough comprising the bottom of said end wrapping station, a drumv concentrically mounted with respect to said trough, said drum being journaled on a horizontal axis, at least one annular groove around the periphery of said drum, and a guard extending into said groove to guide the cigarettes against the periphery of the drum.

CONSTANTINE S. STEPHANO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,044,845 Argall Nov. 19, 1912 1,109,259 Sons et a1 Sept. 1, 1914 1,432,355 Orstrom 1 Oct. 17, 1922 1,604,133 Rebechini Oct. 26, 1926 1,854,075 Smith et al Apr. 12, 1932 2,375,144 Stephano et a1 May 1, 1945 2,417,823 Hodson et a1 Mar. 25, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 240,906 Germany Nov. 21, 1911 

